#354

krampuslauf philadelphia, i have discovered, is not a means to an end. not a zero-sum game, not a pass/fail thing. so much has happened already that has made it real and worth doing. as we progress towards an actual event — which is really just an arbitrary, self-imposed deadline, in a way — i’ve discovered other deadlines i could meet (apparently i like deadlines) and other challenges to which i could rise.

turns out i’m as thick-skinned about applying for these types of events as i am with writing — which is pretty thick-skinned! i wish at times that i could be more sympathetic to the friends who were nervous about entering this show — i really don’t mind the idea of not “getting in”, and i guess that’s the key. but since i was knitting exactly three pieces for krampuslauf (two masks and a headpiece), and since three pieces of work was exactly what fiber philadelphia’s exhibition called for — it seemed silly not to enter. after all — i really love what i made! and, in the very likely case that it is never “exhibited” outside of krampuslauf itself… i will share it with you here.

first, the krampus mask made for ben, which some of you have seen in action:

and here is the buttnmandl/krampus hybrid mask which is being wired for sound:

and — this is my frau perchta headdress. i am planning to wear a mask as well, but oy, not a knitted one — probably going to go with arun’s foil-and-tape tutorial, as that’ll be more groundbreaking for me personally than more knitted masks for now!

i won’t tax anyone with the details of the making of these pieces, but i’m sure i’ll have a post up at my regular blog shortly. it is very important to me that these pieces will be USED in a real pageant — i can’t stand the thought of “garments” made to do nothing but hang on a wall — and i’m excited about them getting a little worn-looking, and about seeing them in a lively setting.